Fire and Brimstone
by MCButler
Summary: This is an Alex Rider Fan Fiction, set shortly after the end of Scorpia Rising. Whilst preparing to leave for America, something happens...


**Chapter one- Diana**

 _Hello everyone, thank you for coming and reading. This is the first time I have ever tried to write a fanfiction so feedback would be lovely. I was inspired to start writing this by the whole Spyfest community, but a special mention has to be given to Nienna3791. Her fanfic's Agitato and Furioso, helped me discover this wonderful community. I hope that one day I will be able to write as well as her. This is both an entry to week 4 of Spyfest, but also hopefully the start of a story, where each chapter will be inspired by a prompt from the Revival Forum. This chapter is inspired by the week 4 challenge and the Pre Stormbreaker prompt. I hope you enjoy._ _For Spyfest 2017…._

Nobody enjoyed getting up at 2 am, for anything let alone a flight, and for once Ian was no exception to the rule. Alex however, a young, spritely ten year old boy who loved any sense of adventure, couldn't think of anything better. The drive to the airport from the hotel was no problem, but the lengthy process of passport control was anything but easy.

Airports had always fascinated Alex, and this one was no exception. One could describe the airport as a sea of faces moving in an unseen current, flowing like water to their destinations as if they were a wide river, down the aisles. Small groups would sometimes stop and cause a small eddy, but the others would flow around the outside and continue on their way.

Even at 3 am the restaurants and cafes that lined the terminal were oozing the thick scent of delicious fudge cake and hot baked pastries towards the people passing in the early morning. "Flight 16 from Charles De Gaulle to Heathrow will be departing shortly" a polite voice states on the intercom, in multiple languages, causing some people to scramble for their wallets and make a quick purchase in the duty free shops before rushing out again . Lounging on a leather sofa in the terminal, a couple chatted happily to one another in Portuguese, occasionally glancing over their shoulders to see if their young boy was still there beside the window looking out to the brightly lit Runway in the pitch black night. Fascinated, the boy gazes through the window into the distance; his eyes fixed on a plane manoeuvring through the sky before swooping down and gliding above the runway then landing perfectly, with its wheels outstretched like talons. Coming out of a shop, a small blond haired boy, whose face is still dripping with ice cream, skips jubilantly beside his tired and exasperated mother, who glares at her watch and grabs the sleeve of the boy - rushing to join the back of the queue for passport control.

Having passed through passport control, Alex and Ian had boarded the flight, and things went quite quickly from there. The plane took off at 3:30 from the airport in Paris and landed around 3:45 am GMT. Once they had collected their bags from the conveyor belt, Ian and Alex made their way to the car park and put their bags in Ian's car.

The drive from Heathrow to Chelsea was a familiar one, which Alex had enjoyed for many years and put him at ease. The relaxing classical music combined with the comforting motion of the car, as it moved along the tarmac roads in the dead of night, sent Alex off to sleep. As Ian approached the flat in Chelsea, he returned to his usual self, observing everything looked at, making sure everything was alright. Moving down the street on which the flat was located, Ian slowed the car almost to a halt, where he was just inching forward. A woman darted across the road, running at a pace. She turned and nearly fell over the bonnet of his car, which was crawling quietly along the street. Her face, which was illuminated by the car's headlamps, showed that she was clearly distressed, her face covered in tears. In a sudden moment of realisation, Ian worked out that the woman was jack starbright, a family friend and Alex's carer. "Jack,what are you doing up at this time?" Ian asked, with a hint of worry in his voice. Jack replied, whilst wiping away a tear, "Haven't you heard the news?".

Bringing Alex inside to the flat, Ian turned the tv on, waking Alex from his stupor. The tv showed images of a destroyed car and lots of emergency vehicles surrounding the area. The deep and calming voice then announced

"As a reminder for all those who have just joined us, it is with great sadness, and with the knowledge of what has just happened, Diana Spencer, former princesses of Wales has passed away at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris,aged 36, at 4am on the 31st of August, 1997."

Ian,who was currently working at MI6, had met Diana before, and broke down into tears, alongside Jack who was also in tears. This was the one time where he had seen Ian cry and reveal his emotional side.


End file.
